System, method and computer program product for cross-selling in network environment

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention provide a robust rebate cross-sell network in which business entities, including financial institutions, can make targeted offers, including pre-approved or pre-qualified credit offers, to a desirable consumer utilizing information submitted by the consumer during a rebate redemption process. These business entities may but need not be associated with a rebate-issuing entity (i.e., rebate sponsor) or a rebate processing center which processes rebate claims for the rebate sponsor. In one embodiment, a cross-sell network manager can determine the consumer&#39;s identity, look-up the consumer at credit bureau(s), and perform a passive, real-time inquiry. Contingent upon a plurality of factors (e.g., the results of the inquiry or look-up against the pre-approved/qualified customer list, etc.), one or more targeted offers are identified. A Web page can be dynamically generated with the selectively identified offers and presented to the consumer as disbursement options, perhaps after authenticating the consumer&#39;s identity.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/504,122, filed Aug. 15, 2008, now allowed, entitled “REBATECROSS-SELL NETWORK AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS IMPLEMENTING THE SAME”, whichin turn claims priority from U.S. Provisional Applications No.60/708,219, filed Aug. 15, 2005, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECUREINTEGRATION OF OFFERS IN A COMPUTER-AIDED REBATE PROCESSING SYSTEM”; No.60/728,278, filed Oct. 19, 2005, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORESTABLISHMENT OF A REBATE CROSS-SELL NETWORK”; and No. 60/777,583, filedFeb. 28, 2006, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL TIME CROSS-SELLINGOVER A NETWORK”, all of which are hereby fully incorporated herein byreference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to rebate fulfillment. Moreparticularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a system and methodfor a rebate cross-sell network capable of marketing and selling thirdparty products and services during an online rebate redemption process.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

Rebates on consumer products—specifically electronics—have become apopular marketing tool for enticing consumers (e.g., individuals,entities, etc.) into making purchases. Rebates can be very costeffective for rebate-offering business entities (e.g., retailers,manufacturers, etc.) because a significant percentage of consumersmaking rebate eligible purchases either do not claim the rebate at allor fail to meet the rebate sponsor's terms and conditions. In industryparlance, this is known as breakage. Additionally, a meaningfulpercentage of the consumers who do receive a rebate check fail to cashthe check prior to it expiring. This is known in the industry asslippage. Due to the combination of breakage and slippage, the actualcost of offering a rebate is only a fraction of the rebate's face value.For this reason, rather than simply reducing the price of the product,an action that would impact revenue on each unit sold, manufacturers andretailers prefer to offer a rebate. This is evidenced by the increasingubiquity of rebate programs in the market place.

Traditionally, rebate fulfillment is a long, time-consuming if nottedious manual process in which a consumer is required to fill out arebate claim form and mail it along with necessary paper documents suchas the store receipt and proof of purchase to a rebate processing centerwithin a specified window of time. U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,935, issued toSolomon et al., offers a computer-aided system for processing productrebates. The system of Solomon et al. includes a networked rebateprocessing center which allows a consumer who purchased arebate-qualifying product to fill out an online rebate request formthrough the rebate processing center's processing interface. After therebate request is successfully processed, the consumer may be givenseveral disbursement options (e.g., cash, gift certificate, manufacturercredit, etc.). Submitting the rebate request form to and receiving thedisbursement options from the rebate processing center can be viewed astwo separate transactions. The former can be initiated by the consumerelectronically or by mail.

To maintain breakage and prevent fraudulent claims, the system ofSolomon et al. requires the consumer to print and mail the completedrebate request form affixed with a receipt and a UPC symbol. Solomon etal. suggests that a secure technique could be used to verify theauthenticity of a purchase, obviating the need for a paper transmittal.To provide opportunities for breakage in such a paperless rebate processthus envisioned, Solomon et al. envision that the system would maintainnumerous post purchase requirements so that a consumer would still needto go through a myriad of processes to realize a rebate. Any number ofsteps may halt or suspend rebate processing to wait for further actionsby the user (e.g., submission of verifying materials such as receipts orUPC symbols, etc.). The rebate processing center may terminateprocessing at points of breakage (e.g., failed communications, failureto meet the promotion requirements, failure to submit the verifyingmaterials, etc.) without notifying the consumer of the status.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram representing a prior art rebatenetwork and a system and method implementing the rebate network. In thisexample, a rebate system 100 is comprised of a rebate sponsor 110, aconsumer 120, and a rebate processing center 130. Rebate sponsor 110 isrepresentative of a manufacturer or retailer that offers rebate programsfor the purchase of selective products. Consumer 120 may provide apayment 101 in exchange for a rebate-qualifying product 102 and a rebateform or instruction 103. Consumer 120 may be instructed to fill out arebate claim 104. As exemplified in FIG. 1, consumer 120 may have aclient computer 125 capable of communicating, through the World Wide Web150, with a server computer 135 in a rebate network 140 that allows forthe online submission of rebate claim 104. Rebate processing center 130may be an independent company or part of rebate sponsor 110. In atypical rebate claim process, consumer 120 is required to mail in therebate claim 104 and proof of purchase 105. After proof of purchase 105is received and verified, rebate processing center 130 identifiesdisbursement options 107 that have been authorized by rebate sponsor 110and generates presentation of disbursement options 106, which may beprovided to consumer 120 via Web 150 after online submission of rebateclaim 104 or when consumer 120 revisits the website of rebate processingcenter 130 and checks the status of rebate claim 104.

As described above, rebates have traditionally been a cost effectivemarketing tool for manufacturers and retailers (i.e., rebate sponsors)to entice consumers into making purchases on selected products. Thecost-effectiveness mainly relies on breakage and slippage, which are notnecessarily beneficial to consumers. Furthermore, the typical rebateclaim process described above is inclusive of business entities that arepart of a rebate program in the rebate network. Business entitiesoutside of this rebate network (i.e., third parties) are not allowed toparticipate (e.g., cross-sell) in the rebate redemption process. Thereis a need for a rebate redemption process system and method which allowsfor cross-sell activities in a rebate network. Embodiments of theinvention can address this need and more.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Increasingly, the rebate redemption processes inclusive of claimssubmission, status checking, as well as selection of redemption anddisbursement options, are migrating to the World Wide Web (“Web”).Business entities, even those which do not traditionally offer rebatesor sponsor rebate-related promotions have come to recognize the valueand potential in providing consumers with a rich, instant, interactive,online experience during a rebate redemption process. As a simplifiedexample, a rebate redemption process can be seen as having two generalstages: a rebate claim process and a rebate fulfillment process. Therebate claim process focuses on claim submission (i.e., how a claim issubmitted, what is the claim about, who submitted the claim, what issubmitted with the claim, what kind of claim, is it valid, etc.). Therebate fulfillment process focuses on disbursement options (e.g., check,gift certificate, etc.). Most prior art rebate redemption systems andmethods focus on the rebate claim process only and offer few, if any,disbursement options. Embodiments of the invention provide a system,method and apparatus that leverages data provided by a consumer duringand/or before an online rebate redemption process session to provide andfulfill disbursement options, including third party offers. To thisextent, the terms “rebate claim/fulfillment process” and “rebateredemption process” are used interchangeably herein.

Particularly, embodiments of the invention provide a cross-sell networkmanager operable to link the consumer with a plurality of businessentities, even if they are not affiliated with a rebate processingcenter. In this way, embodiments of the invention can create a newmarketing channel for third party products/services, including financialproducts and services. As an example, embodiments of the invention canenable financial services firms to make targeted offers of financialproducts to customers as they navigate the rebate claim/fulfillmentprocess, perhaps including financial incentives such as an increase inthe rebate.

One embodiment of the invention provides a data processing system thatenables a network of computer-implemented rebate processing systems andthird party participating systems to cross-sell products inclusive ofgoods and services to consumers. This is referred to herein as “therebate cross-sell network.” The rebate cross-sell network may include across-sell network manager operable to enable rebate processing systemsand third party participating systems to securely exchange various typesof rebate-related data within the rebate cross-sell network. As will bedescribed in detail herein, the rebate cross-sell network manager mayoperate independent of or be fully integrated into a rebate processor orprocessing center. The function of the rebate cross-sell network manageris complimentary to the function of the rebate processor, as the rebateprocessor can connect to an independent rebate cross-sell network viathe rebate cross-sell network manager. In this case, because the rebateprocessor is acting as an agent of the rebate sponsor, they are requiredto store customer data and the rebate cross-sell network of theinvention can be explicitly designed to function without storing anysensitive customer data, thereby avoiding any information securityissues.

In one embodiment, the rebate cross-sell network is comprised of arebate cross-sell network manager, one of more rebate sponsors, and oneor more advertisers (i.e., third party product/service partners). Thosefamiliar with the art will be able to see how this invention createstangible value for all involved in the rebate cross-sell network,including the customers of the rebate sponsors. The rebate cross-sellnetwork gives advertisers access to extremely high quality leads, whichare of substantial value. In today's environment, advertisers do nothave access to the online rebate claim/fulfillment experience. Therebate sponsors receive incremental revenue, in exchange for allowingadvertisers to market to their customers during the online rebateclaim/fulfillment experience, which could be quite substantial,contingent upon the rebate sponsor's rebate volume. The rebatecross-sell network manager will receive remuneration for enabling thiscommerce to take place and administering the system. Finally, thecustomers will benefit because they will have additional rebatedisbursement options, some which may include financial incentives beingoffered by the advertiser (product partner), that they may find to bemore attractive than the option(s) they had outside of the rebatecross-sell network. Simply, customers have greater choice.

By connecting third party advertisers to the online rebateclaim/fulfillment experience, the rebate cross-sell network can create anew online marketing channel and mechanism for participating rebatesponsors and advertisers. Participating rebate sponsors will also beable to choose whether or not they want a donation to a charitableorganization to be presented to their customers as a disbursementoption. Here, a customer may choose to donate all or a portion ofhis/her rebate to a specific charity. Once the conduit between therebate processor and the rebate network manager has been established,donations can easily be facilitated through the rebate cross-sellnetwork.

Although the systems of the rebate processor and a specific advertiser(product partner) can be connected directly, in one embodiment, a rebatecross-sell network manager sits at the core and functions as a centralrouter/server of the rebate cross-sell network. Having the rebateprocessing centers and advertisers connect through a centralrouter/server that functions as a network manager can minimize the totalnumber of connections that must be established and maintained incomparison to all of the participants in the network connecting to eachother directly. In this optimal configuration, each network participantwill only have to establish and maintain one connection, to the networkmanager. This network manager enables the rebate processing systems tosecurely exchange information regarding the consumer, applicable rebatepromotions, and third party offer(s). In addition to enablingcommunication between the various systems connected to the rebatecross-sell network, the network manager can operate to ensure that eachquery sent to the rebate network gets routed to the appropriateadvertisers, based upon the rules that have been established by therebate sponsor for each promotion, in the proper format for eachrespective system. The rebate network manager can also operate to trackall of the interactions that take place across the rebate network, andprovide the reporting necessary to optimize sales and provideperformance-based remuneration to network participants. This will alloweach participant in the network to only have to maintain one traderelationship, with the network operator, versus having to manage traderelationships with all other participants to whom a direct connectionexist.

The advertising opportunities created within the online rebateclaim/fulfillment experience can be appealing to companies from a widevariety of industries. In addition, the ability to obtain customer datathat allows an advertiser to confidently identify potential customerscan be of particular interest to those companies that typically makepre-screened and/or customer-specific offers (e.g. financial servicefirms). In embodiments of the invention, the cross-sell network managermay utilize information already provided by a consumer during a rebateredemption process to enable pre-approved and/or pre-qualified creditoffers to be made instantly to the consumer. Embodiments of theinvention may track user interactions, offer eligibility decisions(e.g., credit decisions), offers made, responses to offers, etc. Thecross-sell network manager may operate to link the consumer interactionduring the rebate redemption process or a portion thereof to appropriatecredit decision-making and marketing platforms. The cross-sell networkmanager may implement any mechanism through which a consumer can beidentified, authenticated, and provided with one or more targetedoffers. By linking the rebate processor(s) to the appropriate creditdecision-making and marketing platforms, in one embodiment, theinvention can enable financial services firms to make pre-screenedoffers of financial products to customers as they navigate the onlinerebate redemption process. Beyond providing access to online consumers,the invention can enable participating advertisers to (1) identifypotential customers, (2) authenticate and/or confirm the identity of aparticular consumer, and (3) provide a targeted offer(s). The targetedoffer(s) can be made based upon any combination of the consumer'spurchase history, credit bureau attributes, custom advertiser modeling,and the consumer's pre-existing relationship with the advertiser, etc.To enable performance-based remuneration, embodiments of the inventionmay perform requisite actions required by all participants. The onlinerebate redemption experience can encompass all of the interactions thattake place during the end-to-end rebate redemption process inclusive ofclaim submission, status checks, confirmations, and selection ofredemption and disbursement options. In one embodiment, the end-to-endrebate redemption process occurs in one online rebate processingtransaction.

One embodiment of a system and method disclosed herein can establish arebate cross-sell network that will enable rebate sponsors to securelyintegrate targeted and non-targeted offers from a set of pre-selectedadvertisers that are participating in the network into the online rebateredemption process for post-purchase rebates. The online rebateredemption process for post-purchase rebates encompasses all of theinteractions that take place during the end-to-end rebate redemptionprocess inclusive of claim submission, status checks, confirmations, andselection of redemption and disbursement options. By participating inthe rebate cross-sell network, the advertisers will not only gain accessto rebate-redeeming consumers during the online post-purchase rebateredemption experience, they will also gain access to information aboutthe rebate-eligible purchase that has been made, the nature of therebate promotion to which one or more consumers are responding, andperhaps most importantly, the personal data that a consumer has providedin order to claim his/her rebate. This information can be used by theadvertiser(s) pre-selected by the rebate sponsor to generate a highlyrelevant offer or set of offer(s) of third party products (i.e.,goods/services) that, in one embodiment, are securely and unobtrusivelypresented to the customer along with his/her other rebate disbursementoptions.

One technical advantage of the invention pertains to the ability toinstantly, passively, and transparently determine whether an offershould be made to a particular consumer, thereby avoiding the negativecustomer experience associated with offering customers a credit productonly to have the customer declined when they accept the offer later. Theadvantage includes the ability to effectively target online consumersduring the rebate redemption process rather than having to makeuntargeted offers that often lead to unprofitable accounts,relationships, or sales. The difficulty in verifying the identity ofonline users precludes making the kind of targeted, pre-screened offersthat are routinely extended via direct mail, telemarketing, and duringface-to-face interaction in retail stores, but with the advent of therebate cross-sell network disclosed herein, advertisers will have userdata that is not available through other existing online advertisingalternatives. For those relationship-focused advertisers that are in thebusiness of making offers based upon how a consumer will perform in thefuture (e.g. financial services firms), the ability to identify aparticular consumer in a permission-based environment will enable themto proactively make highly relevant, customer-specific offers thatgenerate higher response rates, rather than having to rely solely uponkey-word based, contextually-relevant targeting. Through the cross-sellnetwork of the invention, the advertiser can both offer relevantproducts/services during the rebate processing transaction, but alsopotentially even initiate the ultimate sales transaction (andpotentially enable a mechanism to conclude the sale).

Another technical advantage of the invention pertains to the ability tofilter out individuals who are actively seeking credit products. As oneskilled in the art can appreciate, the credit-seeking segment of themarket does not perform as well as non-credit seeking populations, asthe credit-seeking segment of the market tends to be most in need ofcredit and therefore, more risky.

Yet another technical advantage of the invention pertains to the abilityto present an offer (e.g., a credit offer) to a rebate-redeemingconsumer with incentives (e.g., a financial incentive) to accept theoffer. For example, if the consumer qualifies for a $50 rebate andaccepts an offer to apply for a pre-approved credit card with an instant$60 credit, the value of the rebate is increased by $10.

Yet another technical advantage of the invention is that third partyoffers (e.g., a credit offer) can be presented to the rebate-redeemingconsumers in a way that positions it as a consumer benefit arrangedby/provided through the rebate sponsor. Following the above example,even though the credit offer is made by a third party advertisingpartner, a consumer may see the increase in the rebate value as abenefit arranged by the rebate sponsor, thus enhancing the goodwill ofthe rebate sponsor.

Yet another technical advantage of the invention is the ability tocreate a new sales/marketing/advertising channel/space/forum that canenable advertisers (e.g., third party financial services firms) toeffectively target prospects and acquire new customers at asignificantly lower cost than traditional marketing channels such asdirect mail, retail stores, and telemarketing, etc. Furthermore, throughembodiments of the invention, advertisers can effectively identify andpresent targeted credit offers to a large volume of desirable, highlymotivated consumers in a very cost effective and non-obtrusive manner,as each targeted consumer will already be in the middle of a financialtransaction (i.e., a rebate claim/fulfillment process) that he/she choseto initiate. Therefore, the commerce created by the rebate cross-sellnetwork could prove to be a highly attractive sales channel foradvertisers attempting to reach consumers online. It should also benoted that this is designed to be an entirely passive process that willtransparently run in the background, and has no impact on a consumer'scredit rating with any post-session marketing being at the discretion ofthe rebate sponsor. Unlike traditional online affiliate advertisingnetworks that simply track referral-based electronic commerce, thissystem enables an attractive marketing opportunity that does not existin today's environment. Moreover, this system can be seen ascounter-intuitive to the traditional rebate redemption processingsystems and methods because they primarily focus on maintaining breakageand/or slippage, not on encouraging rebate-redeeming consumers tocomplete the rebate redemption process.

Yet another technical advantage of the invention is that by enablingthird party advertisers (e.g., financial services firms and otherbusiness entities alike) to identify and make targeted offers todesirable consumers much more cost effectively, a significant amount ofvalue can be created during a rebate redemption process. This addedvalue can be shared with all parties in the rebate cross-sell network,including rebate sponsor(s) (e.g., OEM, distributor/retailer, etc.),rebate processing center(s), third party seller(s) (i.e., advertisers),and perhaps most importantly, consumers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent toone skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiments described herein with referenceto the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the invention and the advantagesthereof may be acquired by referring to the following description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumbers indicate like features.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram representing a prior art rebatenetwork.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram representing the rebate cross-sellnetwork architecture and illustrating a rebate cross-sell mechanism foroffering products and services to a consumer during a rebate processingand fulfillment transaction, according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram representing the functionality of an onlinerebate fulfillment center in a rebate cross-sell network, according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram representing the functionality of a rebatecross-sell network manager, according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a screenshot illustrating astep in an online rebate redemption process, according to one embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a screenshot illustratinganother step in the online rebate redemption process of FIG. 5,according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a screenshot illustratingdifferent types of offers presented to a qualified rebate-redeemingconsumer during an online rebate redemption process, according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are flow diagrams representing the functionality of athird party system, which is integrated in a rebate cross-sell networkfor providing targeted offers to qualified rebate-redeeming consumerduring an online rebate redemption process, according to one embodimentof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention and various features and advantageous details thereof willnow be described with reference to the exemplary, and thereforenon-limiting, embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Descriptions of known programming techniques, computersoftware, hardware, network communications, operating platforms andprotocols may be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure theinvention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and the specific examples, while indicating preferredembodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only andnot by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications,additions and/or rearrangements within the spirit and/or scope of theunderlying inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled inthe art from this disclosure.

Before describing embodiments of the invention in detail, it might behelpful to clarify a few terms used in this disclosure. A businessentity can be any seller or any intermediary or agent thereof of goodsand services (e.g., retailer, manufacturer, distributor, provider,producer, proprietor, etc.). A business entity may be for profit or notfor profit. The term “business entity” includes any and allcommunications and processing equipment (e.g., computer-readable media,computers, data storage devices, computer networks, etc.) used ormaintained by any such business entity. A rebate sponsor is an entitythat offers and/or sponsors one or more rebate programs. A rebatesponsor may be a business or a non-business (e.g., a government agency)entity. A consumer can be any individual or any entity that purchasesproducts and includes any communications and/or processing equipmentused or maintained by any such consumer. A product can be a good and/ora service. A consumer may purchase a product from a business entitydirectly or indirectly. Products which are associated with rebatesponsors are referred to as the primary products. Products which are notassociated with rebate sponsors are referred to as the secondaryproducts. Consumers are referred to as the first party. The rebatesponsors, typically the manufacturers or retailers of the primaryproducts, and their agents and assigns (e.g., RPC 130) are referred toas the second party. Retailers of the secondary products are referred toas the Third Party or Advertisers. The term “consumer” is used hereininterchangeably with the term “customer”. For example, arebate-redeeming consumer is considered a customer of the rebatecross-sell network, notwithstanding the trade or transactionalrelationship between the first party and the third party. A network canbe seen as any collection of components associated with a publicswitched telephone network, local area network, wide area network,intranet, distributed computer system, global computer network such asthe Internet, the World Wide Web, or any combination thereof. Suitablenetwork components may implement any number and any type of wirelineand/or wireless communications technologies for transmitting voice/dataor other information from point to point. A “rebate processing center”is any set of people, machinery, buildings, etc. that process rebates onproducts/services purchased by consumers using rebate promotionsestablished by rebate sponsors such as manufacturers, distributors,and/or retailers. This can include an internal department of the rebatesponsor, or it may be outsourced to an external service provider. Theterm “rebate collateral” refers to materials, information, or acombination thereof required by a rebate sponsor to prove that aconsumer has made a rebate eligible purchase and is entitled to theassociated rebate, including but not limited to the purchase receipt, aunique rebate/transaction code, proof of purchase, product packinglabels, invoice, UPC bar code, product model and serial numbers, rebatecoupon, rebate claim form, and any other materials or information. A“disbursement option” is a choice presented to a consumer as payment forhis/her rebate. In addition to representing a particular deliverymechanism to disburse the funds or something of value to a consumer, adisbursement option may define:

1. What?—For example, what will the consumer receive, what form will theremuneration be in and how can this currency be used, what is the valueof what the consumer will receive, and so on.

2. When?—For example, when the consumer will receive the rebate.

3. How?—For example, how the rebate will be sent. This includes theactual disbursement mechanism (i.e. check, ACH, prepaid card, electroniccoupon, etc.).

Embodiments of the invention can leverage data submitted during a rebateredemption process to provide additional offers on products, includingthird party goods and services, to rebate-redeeming consumers.Embodiments of the invention include a rebate cross-sell mechanism,which can be implemented as an independent rebate cross-sell networkmanager, in conjunction with a rebate processing center, or fullyintegrated into the rebate processing center (e.g., as a full serviceonline rebate fulfillment center that processes and fulfills rebates). Arebate offerer or rebate sponsor (e.g., a manufacturer) may integratethe functionality of such an online rebate fulfillment center oroutsource it to a rebate clearinghouse company. A rebate sponsoroperating its own rebate processing center may integrate thefunctionality of a cross-sell network manager. Other implementations arealso possible, so long as they implement the functionality of a rebatecross-sell network manager disclosed herein for managing rebatecross-sell activities during a rebate redemption process and routingrebate-related information to appropriate destinations in a rebatecross-sell network accordingly.

As an example, one embodiment of the rebate cross-sell network managercan, during an online rebate fulfillment session, enable an authorizedadvertiser to determine a consumer's identity, look-up the consumer atone or more credit bureaus, and perform a passive, real-time bureauinquiry (preferably a multi-bureau prescreen-of-one) or check to see ifthe consumer is on an existing pre-approved/qualified customer list. Inone embodiment, such a list can be derived by applying creditqualification criteria to information obtained from a credit bureaualong with other financial, segmentation, and consumer response models.Contingent upon the results of the bureau inquiry or look-up against thepre-approved/qualified customer list, the rebate-eligible productpurchased by the consumer, and the consumer's relationship with theadvertiser, one or more specific product offers can be identified andprovided to the consumer. For example, if the consumer ispre-approved/pre-qualified for a particular credit card offer, afterauthenticating the user's identity, a Web page is dynamically generatedwith the credit card offer and presented to the consumer (e.g., thoughthe rebate processing center) during the rebate redemption process. Inthis way, consumers consummating rebate processing transactions via theWeb can be offered additional rebate redemption choices during a singlerebate fulfillment transaction.

In one embodiment, the additional choices may include monetaryincentives such as an increased rebate value for accepting a particularfinancial product (e.g., a credit card or line of credit, etc.). In oneembodiment, the additional choices may include one that is immediatelyredeemable (e.g., redeemable online) but is valued at less than thetotal rebate available. As an example, a consumer who is requesting a$50 rebate can be offered an instant $40 coupon/credit at an onlineretailer (e.g., Amazon.com). If the consumer selects and accepts thisoffer, the original $50 rebate is assigned to the third party (e.g.,network owner or advertiser) that enabled the immediately redeemable $40coupon/credit offer. In this example, the consumer exchanges $10 inrebate value for the ability to spend $40 immediately without having toendure the delay or go through the entire rebate redemption process,thereby avoiding breakage and slippage. The aforementioned third partyin turn can utilize the $50 rebate, the exchange transaction data, andthe consumer information to perhaps negotiate trade with other partiesfor further value exchanges.

The ubiquity of consumer product rebates, and the desire to redeem theseproduct rebates leads to a high volume of motivated consumers. In priorrebate processing systems, consumers must navigate through a cumbersome,often intentionally so, rebate redemption process in order to obtaintheir rebate. Having an option to redeem a rebate immediately and avoidpotential breakage and slippage as described above can be a highlydesirable feature, particularly advantageous to consumers. Byintegrating third party offers, embodiments of the invention also widenthe range of rebate disbursement options for consumers, while creating anew sales/marketing/advertising channel for a virtually unlimited amountof third party products, including financial service products.

In an effort to maintain desirable growth and profitability, financialservices companies have been aggressively looking for ways to makeoffers for financial products/services and acquire customers online in acost effective manner. To date, the primary challenge with accountsgenerated through an online channel has been profitability. Theseaccounts have not performed well relative to the accounts generatedthrough more traditional (direct mail, retail, telemarketing, etc.)channels. Reasons for the poor performance can be many. For example,online marketers have historically leveraged promotional banner ads orhyperlinks on Web sites with a high volume of traffic (e.g., searchengines) to generate awareness. One problem with this approach is thatthese banner ads and hyperlinks are not targeted based upon a consumer'sidentity or other accessible data on a consumer's financial history. Inthe offline world, most financial institutions have migrated toleveraging credit bureau and customer relationship data to make targetedoffers specifically to desired customers. The difficulty in verifyingthe identity of online users makes it very challenging to make the kindof targeted offers that are routinely extended via direct mail andduring face-to-face interaction in retail stores. To use the credit cardindustry as an example, over the past five years, mail volumes haveincreased dramatically. In 2004, according to Synovate, annual mailvolume reached an all time high of 5.23 billion pieces, which was up 22%as compared to 2003. At the same time, overall response rates havecontinued to decline, reaching an all time low of 0.4% in 2004. Thesetrends have led to skyrocketing customer acquisition costs, which haveforced credit card issuers to aggressively seek alternative sales anddistribution channels. Embodiments of the invention can be particularlyuseful in offering financial service products to consumers because (1)rebate-seeking consumers are highly motivated consumers, (2) a rebateredemption process is already a financial transaction, and (3) theinformation that a consumer must submit for claiming a rebate can leadto an information rich environment that is excellent for targetedmarketing of financial services products.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram representing the rebate cross-sellnetwork architecture and illustrating a rebate cross-sell mechanism foroffering products and services to a consumer during a rebate processingand fulfillment transaction, according to one embodiment of theinvention. In this simplified example, Rebate Cross-Sell System 200comprises Rebate Sponsor 110 which provides the primary products,Consumer 120, Rebate Processing Center (“RPC”) 130, Rebate Cross-SellNetwork Manager (“Network Manager”) 260, and at least one Third Party280 which provides the secondary products of goods and/or services.Network Manager 260 can be implemented to operate independently from orin conjunction with RPC 130. Network Manager 260 can be implemented at aserver (e.g., at a Web server of Rebate Sponsor 110 or RPC 130). RebateSponsor 110 and RPC 130 may form a rebate network which integrates orcommunicates with one embodiment of Network Manager 260. In oneembodiment, RPC 130 and Network Manager 260 are integrated to formOnline Rebate Fulfillment Center (“ORFC”) 230. Rebate Cross-Sell System200 may be implemented as one comprehensive computer program or acombination of several programs. For example, Network Manager 260 may beimplemented as a software product embodied in computer-executableinstructions carried on a computer-readable medium familiar to thoseskilled in the art. The computer-executable instructions may compriseone or more customized software tools configured to make creditdecisions according to certain policies and/or rules (e.g., businessrules). The various implementations of Rebate Cross-Sell System 200 canbe transparent to Consumer 120.

An exemplary embodiment of a rebate cross-sell method for offeringprimary as well as secondary products and services to a consumer duringa rebate processing and fulfillment transaction will now be described.Steps 101 . . . 103 and step 107 are similar to those described abovewith reference to FIG. 1. At step 201, Consumer 120 initiates a rebatefulfillment transaction electronically and provides the required rebateclaim data to RPC 130. Information provided by Consumer 120 during thistransaction session may include personal information (e.g., name,address, phone number, email address, etc.) and any rebate eligibilitycollateral (e.g., a unique rebate identification code) to RPC 130. RPC130 is operable to create and manage rebate programs for Rebate Sponsor110. The rebate programs are designed to entice Consumer 120 to purchasethe primary products of Rebate Sponsor 110.

As one skilled in the art can appreciate, all communications in RebateCross-Sell System 200 can occur via the global communications network(i.e., the Internet). RPC 130 can be made accessible to Consumer 120 viathe Web as known to those skilled in the art. It is possible forConsumer 120 to initiate a rebate fulfillment transaction by submittingthe rebate request form received from the rebate sponsor and thecollateral required for proof of purchase through other means (e.g., viaa non-electronic or non-networked channel or channels such as standardpostal mail or fax). RPC 130 may comprise one or more data entryinterfaces which can electronically capture data from rebate requestforms not submitted through the Internet.

In addition to creating and managing rebate programs for Rebate Sponsor110, RPC 130 is operable to determine the eligibility of primary productrebate claims, fulfill the primary product rebates, manage rebate fraud,provide payment facility/mechanism for the primary product rebates,disburse the primary product rebates, and manage campaigns designed todrive Consumer 120 to use Web-based rebate functionality provided by RPC130. In embodiments implementing ORFC 230, the functionality of RPC 130can be fully integrated into ORFC 230.

After accepting the rebate claim data from consumer 120, RPC 130 sendsan offer query to Network Manager 260 at step 202. As exemplified inFIG. 2, one embodiment of a rebate cross-sell network manager (e.g.,Network Manager 260) can interface between at least one rebateprocessing center (e.g., RPC 130) and at least one advertiser of thesecondary products/service (e.g., Third Party 280) to manage theoffering of the advertiser's product/service to consumers (e.g.,Consumer 120) during a rebate redemption process. The rebate cross-sellnetwork manager is operable to perform a plurality of functions,including, but not limited to, establishing and managing therelationships between rebate sponsors, rebate processing center(s), andadvertiser(s), tracking and reporting offers made, storing and reportingoffers accepted by consumers, managing performance-based payments (e.g.,managing payments from advertisers to rebate sponsors, managing paymentsto consumers, managing payments from rebate sponsors to charitableorganizations per rebate disbursement choices made by consumers, etc.).The rebate cross-sell network manager enables communication among thevarious systems in the rebate cross-sell network by structuring andproperly routing queries to each connected system.

In this example, Network Manager 260 receives the offer query from RPC130, determines the appropriate destination to route the query basedupon the rules established by Rebate Sponsor 110 for the promotion(i.e., rebate program) which Consumer 120 has responded to, and sends astructured query to Third Party 280 (e.g., credit card provider) at step203 to, if necessary, initiate a pre-screening process.

Third Party 280 receives the structured query, processes the query toextract pertinent data (e.g., personal information of Consumer 120submitted at step 201) and provides a response to Network Manager 260 atstep 204. The response may include either a denial of any offer toConsumer 120 (which may or may not be forwarded to Consumer 120) or oneor more potential offers based on the availability of the secondaryproducts/services and the qualification of Consumer 120.Advertiser/Third Party 280 is operable to perform a plurality offunctions, including, but not limited to, selling the secondary productsof goods and/or services (e.g., a credit card), performing approvalprocessing if necessary (e.g., credit approval of Consumer 120 andcredit limit analysis), providing the product to Consumer 120 ifConsumer 120 accepts the offer (e.g., credit card fulfillment toConsumer 120), payment of a finder's fee or bounty to Network Manager260 (e.g., a fee for facilitating the sale of the credit card product toConsumer 120), managing the service, if necessary (e.g., credit cardaccount management), and optionally paying the incentive offered toConsumer 120 as a part of the solicitation (e.g., increases the rebatefrom the amount on the primary product to a greater amount to provideincentives for Consumer 120 to purchase the secondary product). Readersare directed to the following references, which are incorporated hereinby reference, for related teachings on systems and methods forperforming on-line credit reviews, approval of credit applicants, creditprocessing, credit card reservations and processing, providing on-linecredit card applications and instant issuance of credit cards: U.S. Pat.No. 6,877,656 B1 to Jaros et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,812 B1 to Lent etal., U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,181 B2 to Lent et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,948to Walker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,686 to Walker et al., U.S. Pat.No. 6,014,645 to Cunningham, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,149 to Dykstra etal.

Network Manager 260 receives the query responses from Advertiser(s) 280and provides a structured query response with the offer(s) to RPC 130 atstep 205. In an alternative embodiment, Network Manager 260 can alsoprovide additional incentives to Consumer 120 in the form of animmediately consumable online rebate in exchange for the full rebateprovided by Rebate Sponsor 110 that must be further processed and cannotbe received by Consumer for a period of time (e.g., 60-90 days). Such anonline rebate offer can be provided to Consumer 120 in a message sentback to Consumer 120 so that it is immediately acceptable by Consumer120. For example, a code may be provided to Consumer 120 upon Consumeraccepting the lower value rebate (e.g., by clicking on an “I accept”button). As another example, Network Manager 260 might provide to RPC130 (for further provision to Consumer 120) an offer to provide Consumer120 a reduced amount rebate that is immediately redeemable in exchangefor the full but not immediately redeemable rebate (both can bepresented to Consumer 120). In this way, Consumer 120 can choose toaccept the full manufacturer rebate (e.g., $100) and wait for a checkfrom Rebate Sponsor 110 to arrive in 60-90 days or to accept animmediately redeemable coupon or certificate (“eCertificate”) from anonline business (e.g., an $80 eCertificate that is immediatelyredeemable at amazon.com). In this embodiment, Network Manager 260 wouldarrange for the coupon or eCertificate with the online store or serviceprovider (e.g., amazon.com) and would arrange with Rebate Sponsor 110 tohave the $100 rebate sent to Network Manager 260 if Consumer 120accepted the $80 online coupon. In this example, Consumer 120 would getimmediate satisfaction of the rebate, Network Manager 260 would get the$20 upside for waiting 60-90 days of processing, and Rebate Sponsor hasa satisfied customer because one of the biggest complaints about rebateprograms is that it takes too long for a consumer to receive the moneywith the rebate. Alternatively, the $80 immediate rebate payment couldeither be electronically deposited into an account designated byConsumer 120 or a check can be mailed the next day.

RPC 130 receives the structured query response from Network Manager 260and presents the various rebate options and offers to Consumer 120 atstep 206. Consumer 120 reviews the options and selects the desiredrebate option/offer package. The selection information is transmitted toRPC 130 at step 207. RPC 130 may forward the rebate/offer choice made byConsumer 120 to Network Manager 260 at step 208 (e.g., if Consumer 120accepts either an immediately redeemable lower value rebate or one ofthe offer(s) from Advertiser 280). Network Manager 260 then informsAdvertiser 280 of Consumer 120's acceptance (or lack thereof) at step209. Where applicable, Advertiser 280 then operates to fulfill the offeraccepted by Consumer 120 (e.g., by processing the transaction andproviding Consumer 120 with the credit card thus selected).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram 300 representing the functionality of ORFC 230of Rebate Cross-Sell system, according to one embodiment of theinvention. In this example, ORFC 230 is implemented as an online rebatefulfillment website (“ORFC”) of a rebate processing center whichprocesses rebate programs related to product promotions by RebateSponsor 110. Flow 300 starts when Consumer 120 (“User”) interactivelyaccesses ORFC through a dynamic interface according to consumerinformation, promotion, or other appropriate data. User identifiesthrough the interface a specific rebate program or locates the searchfunctionality that can be used to find a specific rebate program or tocheck the status of a previously submitted rebate claim. Becausepersonal information is being conveyed, ORFC initiates a secure sessionover the network to User. User enters the information required for therebate claim or enters the necessary search keys to look-up a previouslysubmitted claim. In one embodiment, ORFC utilizes error checkingalgorithms within the web form to determine if all of the required datafields have been populated and if syntax of the information entered iscorrect. If so, ORFC accesses a promotional table containing currentrebate programs to determine if the rebate claim qualifies for thepromotion or in the case of a previously submitted claim, searches thetransactional table to locate the existing claim. If data is incompleteor the syntax is incorrect, ORFC returns an error message, and requeststhat the information be re-entered.

If the rebate claim is not authorized, ORFC returns a failure message toconsumer along with the appropriate explanation. If the rebate claim isauthorized (which may be contingent upon receipt of required rebateeligible collateral) or the search of the existing claim is successful,ORFC performs appropriate fraud screening(s). If User passes the fraudcheck, ORFC 230 initiates a secure session (e.g., via Network Manager260) with Advertiser 280 (“Third Party”) and routes a query to an onlinemarketing platform of Third Party. It should be understood that ORFC cansend inquiries to multiple third party advertisers. Examples of thefunctionality of Third Party are described below with reference to FIG.8A and FIG. 8B. It should also be understood that ORFC can handle rebateprograms for and interface with multiple rebate sponsors.

ORFC communicates the rebate authorization/status to User along with anopt-in to receive promotional offers. This opt-in is an optional stepthat may be required by a rebate sponsor or per governmental privacyguidelines. The opt-in can also be done at step 201 of FIG. 2, asillustrated in Screenshot 500 of FIG. 5. If the opt-in step isimplemented and User does not opt-in, ORFC may bypass the cross-sell(solicitation) process and continue the rebate redemption process. ORFCmay automatically transfer User directly to Third Party or open a windowto display products of Third Party.

If User opts-in to receiving promotional offers, User is asked to entera personal identifier. If User does not submit a personal identifier orif the personal identifier is found to be not valid, ORFC ends thesecure session with the offer-decisioning platform. If User enters avalid personal identifier, ORFC retrieves User's name and address fromthe transaction table. ORFC then operates to construct a query thatincludes User's name and address, along with desired information aboutthe promotion that is being redeemed. The offer-decisioning platformutilizes the information in the query to determine whether User passespre-credit bureau screening criteria. In an alternative embodiment, Usermay be matched to an existing list of pre-screened consumers. If Userdoes not pass, the offer-decisioning platform returns a decline messageto ORFC (via Network Manager 260), which continues the normal rebateclaim/fulfillment process flow transparently to User. If User passes thepre-bureau screening, the credit decisioning platform pulls a creditbureau inquiry on User.

Once User's credit bureau is obtained from one or multiple creditbureaus, Third Party may evaluate User's credit report to determineeligibility for an offer. If User passes the credit bureau test(s), theoffer-decisioning platform then conducts optional post-bureau fraudtests. If User passes the post-bureau tests, the decisioning platformthen routes a response to the query back to ORFC (via Network Manager260) that includes an approval with an offer. ORFC then presents thepre-screened credit offer(s) to User along with any and all other rebatedisbursement options. If User chooses to accept the pre-screened creditoffer, ORFC then transfers User to Third Party's pre-screened offerconfirmation application. As described above, if the optional opt-instep is implemented and User does not opt-in, User may still betransferred to Third Party as an opt-out prospect. However, since thecross-sell credit pre-screening process is bypassed, there will be nopre-screened credit offers from Third Party.

Embodiments of the invention can be realized in a data processing systemparticularly designed and configured to operate one or more serversinterconnected via communication transmission lines to allow data linksthere between. An illustrative embodiment of the invention can includeprogram controlling logic placed on a first server (e.g., a rebateprocessing server) that forwards data provided by a user whileinitiating his/her rebate claim (either online or via a form that wasmailed-in) to a second server where a rebate cross-sell networkmanagement router or network manager resides. The rebate cross-sellnetwork manager can include program controlling logic commands that,when executed by a processor, operate to identify the related rebateprogram, determine the third party products to be offered and theprovider hierarchy, structure a query that is compatible with theprovider's credit decisioning/offer platform for the identified product,and route the query accordingly. When a response to the query isreceived, the network manager can record the response (e.g., fortracking and sales optimization purposes), translate the response intothe structure required by the originating rebate processing system, andagain route it to an appropriate destination. The network manager caninclude the requisite programming logic to track and report on the levelof activity associated with each rebate program.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram 400 representing the functionality of NetworkManager 260 of FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the invention. Inthis example, Network Manager 260 receives a query from RPC 130,including information provided by Consumer 120. Network Manager 260operates to determine the data format of the query from RPC 130. If thedata format is not supported by Network Manager 260, an error message issent to RPC 130 and the transmission is discarded. Otherwise, NetworkManager 260 operates to extract necessary data from the query (e.g.,source ID, program ID, transaction ID, user identity, etc.) and storethe extracted data accordingly (e.g., in a database, table, file, etc.).Network Manager 260 is operable to determine where to obtain additionaloffers for Consumer 120 based on predetermined program/business rulesand offer hierarchy. The following is a non-exhaustive list of rulesthat may be implemented by Rebate Cross-Sell System 200:

-   -   Allowable offer types    -   Allowable advertisers    -   Minimum consumer incentive for each offer type    -   Minimum bounty, distribution partner payment per sale, for each        offer type    -   Maximum number of offers to be presented for each offer type    -   Offer type presentation hierarchy    -   Display type (textual, graphic, combination)    -   Restricted types of content    -   Maximum offer presentation frequency    -   Data fields that can be shared with explicit consumer permission    -   Data fields that can be shared without explicit consumer        permission    -   Acceptability of post-transaction/session marketing to user    -   Communication protocols (lead formatting, security, encryption)    -   Allowable distribution partners    -   Allowable originating transaction/session types    -   Minimum primary transaction value    -   Acceptability of simultaneous presentation of competing offers    -   Post-selection user confirmation requirement    -   Minimum data requirements for leads    -   Advertising budget    -   Offer selection algorithm    -   Historical offer response rates    -   Historical responses of specific consumer    -   Historical lead pricing for each offer type    -   Financial agreements with advertising partners    -   Financial agreements with distribution partners    -   Test and learn for introduction of new offers without historical        data    -   Maximum offer query response time(s).

Once the appropriate destination(s) is determined (e.g., Third Party280), Network Manager 260 operates to formulate or otherwise constructone or more queries and forward them to the determined destination(s).The query thus constructed by Network Manager 260 may pertain tolooking-up the consumer at the credit bureau(s) based on the consumer'sidentity. The query may pertain to a passive, real-time multi-bureauprescreen-of-one inquiry and may be configured to verify whether theconsumer is on an existing pre-approved/qualified customer list. Such alist can be derived by applying credit qualification criteria toinformation obtained from a credit bureau along with other financial,segmentation, and consumer response models. Third Party 280 may processthe query as described below with reference to FIG. 8A and return withan appropriate message (e.g., decline) or pre-screened offer(s). NetworkManager 260 may store the responses received from the third partyadvertisers. If there is at least one offer, Network Manager 260operates to construct an appropriate response in a format that iscompatible with RPC 130 and send it to RPC 130. If no offer is receivedand there is/are additional destination(s), Network Manager 260 mayoperate to determine the next destination(s) based upon the programrules and offer hierarchy as described above. If there are no additionaldestinations or the process is timed out, a negative response is sentback to RPC 130.

FIG. 5 shows Screenshot 500 illustrating step 201 of FIG. 2, accordingto one embodiment of the invention. In this example, Consumer 120 is aSprint® PCS customer eligible for a $50 rebate that can be redeemedonline. Consumer 120 may visits Sprint® PCS's website and navigates tothe functionality which handles the rebate fulfillment/cross-sellprocess. The rebate cross-sell functionality can be seamlesslyimplemented into an established online store or service center of arebate sponsor or rebate processor. As described above, the variousimplementations as well as the underlying activities of RebateCross-Sell System 200 can be transparent to users. Thus, it would appearto Consumer 120 that Sprint® PCS is providing an opportunity to maximizehis/her rebate via the opt-in option at the bottom of Screenshot 500.

FIG. 6 shows Screenshot 600 which follows the example of FIG. 5 andillustrates disbursement options for Consumer 120. In this case,Consumer 120 can choose to (1) receive by mail a check in the amount of$50, which is the full value of the rebate, (2) increase the value ofthe rebate to $59.99 by redeeming it in exchange for a bundle of theprimary products of Sprint® PCS, (3) increase the value of the rebate to$80.00 by redeeming it in exchange for the secondary product(s) (e.g., apre-approved credit card) offered by a third party advertiser, or (4)increase the value of the rebate to $89.99 by redeeming it in exchangefor a combination of the primary and secondary products.

FIG. 7 shows Screenshot 700 which further exemplifies different types ofoffers that can be presented to a qualified rebate-redeeming consumerduring an online rebate claim/fulfillment process, according to oneembodiment of the invention. In this example, the disbursement optionsand payment mechanisms are significantly diversified. For example, inaddition to the four types of disbursement options described above withreference to FIG. 6, a rebate-redeeming consumer can choose whether todonate all of the rebate or a portion thereof. Additionally, each optionis displayed with an approximate redemption time frame (e.g., 24 hours,7 days, or 10 weeks).

FIG. 8A shows a flow diagram 810 representing an aspect of thefunctionality of a third party system. Embodiments of the invention canintegrate targeted financial product offers (e.g.,pre-approved/pre-qualified credit card offers) into a rebate cross-sellnetwork. Prescreen(s) can be applicable in situations where a consumer'scredit bureau data is utilized to determine if a product or serviceoffer would be extended and/or where a consumer's name is utilized todetermine whether he/she is already on a list of prospects, which may bederived in part by the use of credit bureau or customer relationshipdata. In the offline world, most financial service providers havemigrated to leveraging credit bureau and customer relationship data tomake targeted prescreened offers specifically to desired prospects.

As an example, based on information received from a rebate cross-sellnetwork manager (e.g., Network Manager 260) or a rebate fulfillmentcenter integrating the rebate cross-sell network manager (e.g., ORFC230), the third party system (e.g., Advertiser 280 or a creditdecisioning platform) may operate to determine whether arebate-redeeming consumer (e.g., Consumer 120) passes the credit bureauprescreen(s). Following the example shown in FIG. 2, if Consumer 120passes prescreen(s), his/her record(s) is/are pulled from creditbureau(s) for more comprehensive test(s). As illustrated in FIG. 8A, inthis example, Advertiser 280 may operate to put together prescreenedoffer(s) and send a positive response containing the prescreenedoffer(s) back to Network Manager 260 or ORFC 230 only if Consumer 120passes the prescreen(s), credit bureau tests, and post-bureau tests. IfConsumer 120 does not pass any one of the prerequisites, Advertiser 280returns a negative response to Network Manager 260 or ORFC 230.

FIG. 8B shows a flow diagram 820 representing another aspect of thefunctionality of the third party system of FIG. 8A. As described above,if an optional opt-in step is implemented, Consumer 120 may betransferred to a website of the third party system with and withoutopt-in information. In the former case, the transfer may be transparentto Consumer 120 and third party offers may be presented in exchange forthe original rebate that Consumer 120 is redeeming. In the latter case,Consumer 120 is likely to be aware of the transfer and a transactionbetween Consumer 120 and Advertiser 280 can take place directly withoutaffecting the original rebate. If the optional opt-in step is notimplemented, Consumer 120 cannot bypass the rebate cross-sell process.

Following the example of FIG. 3, User completes and submits thepre-screened offer confirmation application. Alternatively, if theoptional opt-in step is implemented and User does not opt-in, this stepmay involve User completing and submitting a regular application.Application data is then checked for validity. If the application datais invalid, User is asked to submit the data missing or incorrect in anyrequired fields. If the application data is valid, the third partysystem (e.g., the credit decisioning platform or Advertiser 280)presents the terms and conditions associated with the application and/orthe offer. If User accepts the terms and conditions, an electronicconfirmation of the acceptance is stored and a copy of which istransmitted back to User (e.g., via ORFC 230 or Network Manager 260 andRPC 130). Finally, ORFC 230 (Network Manager 260) ends the securesession with Advertiser 280, and completes any remaining steps inConsumer 120's rebate redemption experience.

One significant advantage of this invention is that it enables financialinstitutions to effectively identify and present targeted credit offersto a large volume of desirable, highly motivated consumers in a verycost effective way that will not appear to be obtrusive to a consumer ashe/she is already in the middle of a financial transaction. It shouldalso be noted that this process can be an entirely passive process thatwill transparently run in the background, and has no impact on theconsumer's credit rating. Unlike systems that simply trackreferral-based electronic commerce, this system enables an attractivemarketing opportunity that does not exist in today's environment.Furthermore, by providing the ability to integrate credit offers intothe computer-aided rebate processing experience, financial institutionscan significantly increase their ability to confidently identifyprospective customers and make targeted credit offers to these highlymotivated rebate-redeeming consumers who are already in the process ofcompleting a financial transaction. The commerce created by thisintegration could prove to be a highly attractive sales channel forfinancial institutions attempting to reach consumers via the Web.

Because the rebate cross-sell system disclosed herein can be entirelypassive, financial institutions and participatingmanufacturers/retailers can minimize the negative customer experienceassociated with extending a credit offer to an existing customer, onlyto have that customer declined. Being able to target consumers moreeffectively online can provide a significant advantage to financialservice firms in acquiring customers online.

In summary, embodiments of the invention can place a new functionalentity, a Rebate Cross-Sell Network Manager, in the rebate redemptionprocess. This new functionality has the ability to receive an onlinerebate request and introduce a cross-selling opportunity to a consumerseeking to fulfill the rebate. Embodiments of the invention include atleast the following unique features:

1) offering/selling third party products/services to rebate-redeemingconsumers;

2) selling other products (third party or rebate sponsor products)regardless of whether the rebate transaction itself is successful (i.e.,product sales can be done/offered independent of the rebate transactionand not tied to the rebate itself or related to the product that is thesubject of the rebate);

3) a combination of offering/selling third party products/services torebate-redeeming consumers during the processing of a rebate transactionand selling products despite of the rebate transaction itself;

4) sharing/distributing in a number of ways the profit from additionalproduct/service sales amongst the various parties in the rebateprocessing and cross-sell network (e.g., network manager, rebatesponsor, customer, third party partners); and

5) donations to charitable organizations during a rebate redemptionprocess. In addition to creating cross-sell opportunities for parties(e.g., third party advertisers) outside of the primary demand chain, thedisclosed rebate cross-sell network can also enable consumers to donateall or a portion of their rebate(s) to charitable organizations.Charitable organizations are unique, because there is no cross-sellingper se. These donations can be a “disbursement option” from anadvertiser.

Although the invention has been described in detail herein withreference to the illustrative embodiments, it should be understood thatthe description is by way of example only and is not to be construed ina limiting sense. It is to be further understood, therefore, thatnumerous changes in the details of the embodiments of this invention andadditional embodiments of this invention will be apparent to, and may bemade by, persons of ordinary skill in the art having reference to thisdescription. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should bedetermined by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

1. A method of cross-selling in a network environment, comprising: at afirst computer, while processing a rebate submitted by a consumer forredemption after said consumer made a purchase of an item or serviceassociated with said rebate, presenting at least one cross-sell offer tosaid consumer on at least one device associated with said consumer,wherein said first computer is configured to: analyze rebate redemptioninformation associated with said purchase; and obtain from at least asecond computer communicatively connected to said first computer one ormore cross-sell offers for said consumer based at least in part on saidrebate redemption information, said at least one cross-sell offer beingselected from said one or more cross-sell offers.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein none of said at least one cross-sell offerpresented to said consumer is associated with said item or service. 3.The method according to claim 1, wherein said consumer is required tomake a selection from said at least one cross-sell offer presented tosaid consumer.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said consumermakes a selection of a first cross-sell offer from said at least onecross-sell offer presented to said consumer, further comprising: at saidfirst computer, in response to receiving said selection by saidconsumer, communicating said selection by said consumer to said secondcomputer.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the act ofcommunicating said selection by said consumer to said second computercauses a benefit associated with said first cross-sell offer to bedelivered to said consumer.
 6. The method according to claim 4, whereinthe act of communicating said selection by said consumer to said secondcomputer causes a benefit associated with said first cross-sell offer tobe delivered to an entity other than said consumer.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein said processing, said presenting, and saidcommunicating occur in real time in a single online rebate fulfillmentsession.
 8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:determining, in real time, whether said consumer is pre-approved orpre-qualified for said first cross-sell offer.
 9. The method accordingto claim 4, wherein said presenting comprises dynamically generating apage with said first cross-sell offer.
 10. The method according to claim1, wherein said rebate redemption information associated with saidpurchase is collected at a third computer, and wherein said firstcomputer is communicatively connected to said third computer over anetwork connection and further configured to receive or obtain saidrebate redemption information associated with said purchase from saidthird computer over said network connection.
 11. A computer programproduct comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable mediumstoring instructions translatable by a first computer to perform: whileprocessing a rebate submitted by a consumer for redemption after saidconsumer made a purchase of an item or service associated with saidrebate: analyzing rebate redemption information associated with saidpurchase; obtaining from at least a second computer communicativelyconnected to said first computer one or more cross-sell offers for saidconsumer based at least in part on said rebate redemption information;and presenting at least one cross-sell offer to said consumer on atleast one device associated with said consumer, said at least onecross-sell offer being selected from said one or more cross-sell offers.12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said consumermakes a selection of a first cross-sell offer from said at least onecross-sell offer presented to said consumer, and wherein saidinstructions are further translatable by said first computer to perform:in response to receiving said selection by said consumer, communicatingsaid selection by said consumer to said second computer.
 13. Thecomputer program product of claim 12, wherein said instructions arefurther translatable by said first computer to cause a benefitassociated with said first cross-sell offer to be delivered to saidconsumer.
 14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein saidinstructions are further translatable by said first computer to cause abenefit associated with said first cross-sell offer to be delivered toan entity other than said consumer.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 12, wherein said instructions are further translatable by saidfirst computer to perform: determining, in real time, whether saidconsumer is pre-approved or pre-qualified for said first cross-selloffer.
 16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein saidpresenting comprises dynamically generating a page with said firstcross-sell offer.
 17. A system for cross-selling in a networkenvironment, comprising: a first computer configured to, in a singleonline transaction: process a rebate submitted by a consumer forredemption after said consumer made a purchase of an item or serviceassociated with said rebate; analyze rebate redemption informationassociated with said purchase; obtain from at least a second computercommunicatively connected to said first computer one or more cross-selloffers for said consumer based at least in part on said rebateredemption information; and present at least one cross-sell offer tosaid consumer on at least one device associated with said consumer, saidat least one cross-sell offer being selected from said one or morecross-sell offers.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein none of said atleast one cross-sell offer presented to said consumer is associated withsaid item or service.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein said consumermakes a selection of a first cross-sell offer from said at least onecross-sell offer presented to said consumer, and wherein said firstcomputer is further configured to communicate said selection by saidconsumer to said second computer in response to receiving said selectionby said consumer.
 20. The system of claim 17, further comprising: athird computer communicatively connected to said first computer over anetwork connection, wherein said rebate redemption informationassociated with said purchase is collected at said third computer, andwherein said first computer is further configured to receive or obtainsaid rebate redemption information associated with said purchase fromsaid third computer over said network connection.